Gas-inflated airship



Sept. 11, 1928.

W. E. DORR GAS INFLATED AIRSHIP Filed July 1, 1927 Patented Sept. 11,192 8,

:PATE NT" oFFI E- wrrnnnm 11.15633, or mmnnmenn, enruu'mw, ASSIGNOR rnur'rscnrrrnau znrrnLm ensnrlnsfcnerr MIT BESCHRiiNKTER HAFTUNG, orrRIEn it'IcHsHArEN,

cran um.

GAS-INFLATED AIR-SHIP.

A lieationfll ed Ju1y 1, 1927, Seria1 No. 202,852, and in Germany Ju1y15,-1 926.'

l The hull of airships generally isflsub divided intocompartme'nts. Intothese comartments gas-cells are inserted; Usually in rigid airshipsthere are transverse mem 7 bers called rings having circumferentialgirders stayed by aninternal wire bracing.

This wire bracing subdivides the inner hollow space of the hull into theabove mentioned compartments.

Recently it has been suggested that the structure of the transversemembers be altered. Instead of providing relatively smallcircumferential ring girders stayed by thewire bracing, ring girders ofa cons1derable height or cross section are suggested to be used so thatthe inner bracing can be CllS- pensed with. The gas cells which formerlywere supported against the wirebracing of a ring, now bear only oneagainst the other I with their end walls. These end walls con sequentlymust be constructed of a relatively great amount of normally slackmaterial;

that is, more material is employed progressively toward thecentralportion of the end wall than that which would be required toconstruct an end wall normally conforming to a transverse plane of thegas cell, so that such walls may bulge into the achacent compartment inthe event'one of the gas cells limiting the extent ofsuch bulging intoadjacent compartments a loose net-work. of cords or the like may beprovided, This network has itsedges fastened to the greatercircumferential ring structure and its capacity for bulging issufiiciently great to allow for a considerable pitchin the bulging ofthe, end wall of a gas cell. All this will be understood betterwhen'later referring to the drawing.

According to my invention, the gascells are provided with double endwalls composed of a relatively great amount of normally slackmateriah'and the space between these two end walls is utilized byinflating it with one kind of gas, whereas the main portion of the gascell in inflated with the other kind of gas; Accordingly this gas spacebetween the double end walls is situated when inflated partly in one ofthe comspace.

should be deflated. For the purpose of partments andpart-ly in thecompartment adjacent thereto, the median plane'of the transverse ringbeing approximately' coin- 7' cident with the median plane of; the newgas The double end walls, of ages .cell may of course be; provided atboth ends of a'cell, but I 7 thereof. .r a a My invention is of specialimportance in con unct on with airships the motors of which are fed withgaseous fuel according to the latest improvements.-

In such airprefer to have it only atonefend ships the gas space betweenthe double end walls according to my invention should be inflated withthe fuel gas, whereas the main gas space of the gas cell is reserved forthe lifting gas. with this arrangementthe fuel gas will always be undera certain pressure resulting from the pressureexerted by ad- 7 yacentlifting gas, and it will thus beforcedfl I through the pipes or conductsto the engene or engines of the airship, As the fuel gas consumed, theadjacent double endwalls w1ll approach each other,.beginningv with theirupper portions,-andthereby the lower level of the lifting gas will moveupwardly.

Having given a general description of my invention I now want to pointit out more in detail referring to the drawings which represent anexample embodying my invention. a i y The figurerepresents a fragmentary1011- gitudinal vertical section through the hull of a" rigid airship.

The outer portion of the hull is designated by the numeral 1.'lransversely disposed rigid frames 2 are .in the form of rings composedof girders with a relativelylarge cross section, requiring no wirebracing, whereas rings 3 are the well-known wire braced cross member's.Three gas cells 4,1 4 and 4" are shown. One end wall of each of thesecells is double asshown at 8 and 9, whereas the other end wall of eachcell is single as indicated at 10. The gas cells 4, 4 and i" areinflated with lifting gas, for example hydrogan or helium, whereas thespaces 5 and 5 between the double end walls, 8 and 9 are inflated withthe fuel gas; There are openings 11 in the walls of the fuel gas space,

opening into conduits 12, by which the fuel gas is conducted to theengine 13'in"the.

motor car 14. The lifting gas space has valves-1:3"qpeia'jpginfo gzisducts lfi which the gas is led to openings '17 in the outer cover 1.'The fuel gas spaces also'liave 5 5L993 .i l h f e may eeww c sed emrgency. l

I dd iioffii iinflo belim'itcd td the details described or shown in thedrawingggs many variations occur to those skilled in the art.

What- I claim v 4 S l 1. A rigid airship comprising hull; a

firmsver se memheu 'III said hull, said memcfisaidiga cells mc tingTanrlbearing against ezicl cthcr with one lof tlieii' twp e d wells,

'mtespectimely pbsiamihllyin the'ti'ansv'ei'se \iihere sgid ti ans'vepse member is -i tu aited',"one of sand cndiwalls of'said cells bei igClOllblBjlIll G space between saicl double ing inflated with liftinggas.

' I *WILHELM E. DllR Rg end walls being g jclapted to be ipfiutec l withI gaslalsc." 7 0 21A gas cell of substantially cylindrical slmpe,""adapted to beinsertecl into the hull co n pcsecl of rela tiyely great an qunt of noi'inhlly slack mzitciidl amide-hem xlbublc,

fal e specebctween said double cml walls when inflated forming a gasspace of lentil- ]3. A gas cell of substantially cylindrical shapeinserted infio the hull cfruwigicl aiira relativelygrezit amount ofnormally slack material u ld 1 being dpuhle, the' space 35 tweensaicldouble end walls beinga infliitcd "with egaseous fuel for themotorv Lof isaid airs'lii i, the main spuce bfrsaigl gas cellbe-

